Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates in general to a method and apparatus for determining the desired quantities of comestibles to be consumed. The method and apparatus of the present invention relates, more particularly, to a system which enables a person to maintain a desired body weight by eating desired quantities only of the various food groups on a daily basis.
2. Background Art
People who have desired to maintain a healthy lifestyle and an appropriate body weight, have attempted to control the portions of food being consumed. This is particularly useful when a person desires to lose body weight.
There have been many different types and kinds of methods employed to help control the consumption of food being consumed. People have resorted to weighing the quantities of the food, or otherwise measuring them with utensils such as spoons and measuring cups. Also, the calorie content of the comestibles to be consumed on a daily basis have been counted so that the total number calories do not exceed a desired total number of calories being consumed. Similarly, the grams of fat content in the food have also been counted to ensure that the total number of grams of fat for a given day is not exceeded.
Such techniques have oftentimes been time consuming and awkward to accomplish. Thus, the person following such dietary control frequently will become frustrated and not follow the regimen consistently. Thus, the benefits may not be realized as expected.
Such weighing, measuring and counting of calories and of fat grams are particularly difficult to do when away from home. For example, when eating at a restaurant or at the home of a friend or relative, it can be difficult, or psychologically embarrassing, to accomplish the tasks of maintaining control of the portions of food items being consumed in light of such circumstances.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to have a new and improved apparatus and method for facilitating the control of the quantity of portions of comestibles being consumed. Such apparatus and method should be useful and convenient to use in many, if not all circumstances encountered when consuming food products. Such techniques should be useful and readily used in a discreet manner in restaurants and other situations when the user is away from home without being embarrassed or feeling uncomfortable.
Therefore, the principal object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for facilitating the determination of the desired quantity of portions of comestibles to be consumed in a convenient manner.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a new and improved method and apparatus, which can be readily and conveniently employed in restaurants and other environments when the user is away from home.
Briefly, the above and further objects of the present invention are realized by providing an apparatus and a method which enables a person to readily and conveniently determine the desired quantities of portions of comestibles to be consumed, even when away from home. The apparatus of the present invention can be carried with the person in a convenient manner.
The apparatus and method facilitates the determination of the desired quantity of portions of comestibles to be consumed by the user, and includes at least one visual cue indicia device having indicia thereon being configured in the shape of a familiar object of a size similar to the size of a desired portion of a comestible product to be consumed. The user can control the quantities of portions of comestible groups being consumed. In one form of the invention, the apparatus includes a book having a plurality of pages, at least one of the pages having the visual cue indicia device being removable disposed thereon. The visual cue indicia device preferably includes a paper board sheet having its indicia on the front face thereof to facilitate carrying it conveniently with the user so that it can be used discretely for gauging the size of a portion be consumed.